| IEC 62196 Type 2 | |
| Type: | Electric vehicle charging |
| Designer: | Mennekes |
| Design Date: | 2009 |
| Production Date: | 2013 |
| Length: | 200mm |
| Diameter: | 70mm |
| Width: | 70mm |
| Height: | 63mm |
| Electrical: | DC, 1‒3 phase AC |
| Earth: | Dedicated pin |
| Maximum Voltage: | 480 V |
| Maximum Current: | 300 A |
| Data Signal: | SAE J1772#Signaling |
| Physical Connector: | VDE-AR-E 2623-2-2 |
| Pinout Caption: | Pinouts for Type 2 female (charging station outlet/vehicle connector) and male (vehicle inlet/outlet side plug) electric vehicle charging plugs |
| Num Pins: | 7 (1 earth, 3 line phases, 1 neutral, 2 signalling) |
| Pin Custom1 Name: | PP |
| Pin Name Custom1: | Proximity pilot |
| Pin Custom1: | pre-insertion signalling |
| Pin Custom2 Name: | CP |
| Pin Name Custom2: | Control pilot |
| Pin Custom2: | post-insertion signalling |
| Pin Custom3 Name: | PE |
| Pin Name Custom3: | Protective earth |
| Pin Custom3: | full-current protective earthing system—6-millimetre (0.24 in) diameter |
| Pin Custom4 Name: | N |
| Pin Name Custom4: | Neutral |
| Pin Custom4: | single-/three-phase AC / DC-mid |
| Pin Custom5 Name: | L1 |
| Pin Name Custom5: | Line 1 |
| Pin Custom5: | single-/three-phase AC / DC-mid |
| Pin Custom6 Name: | L2 |
| Pin Name Custom6: | Line 2 |
| Pin Custom6: | three-phase AC / DC-mid |
| Pin Custom7 Name: | L3 |
| Pin Name Custom7: | Line 3 |
| Pin Custom7: | three-phase AC / DC-mid |
| Pinout Notes: | Combo 2 extension adds two extra high-current DC pins underneath and does not use the AC pins. |
The IEC 62196 Type 2 connector (often referred to as Mennekes for the company that designed it) is used for charging electric vehicles, mainly within Europe, as it was declared standard by the EU. Based on widespread red IEC 60309 three phase plugs with five pins, which come in different diameters according to maximum current (most common are 16 A and 32 A), a single size was selected, as maximum possible power will be communicated to the car via two additional communication pins and by a simple resistor coding within the cable. The onboard charger inside the car has to limit the current accordingly.
The connector is circular in shape, with a flattened top edge; the original design specification carried an output electric power of 3–50 kW for charging battery electric vehicles using single-phase (230V) or three-phase (400V) alternating current (AC), with a typical maximum of 32 A 7.2 kW using single-phase AC and 22 kW with three-phase AC in common practice.[1] The plugs have openings on the sides that allow both the car and the charger to lock the plug automatically to prevent unwanted interruption of charging, or theft of the cable.
As modified by Tesla for its European Supercharger network (up to Version 2), it is capable of outputting 150 kW using direct current (DC) via two pins each, with a switch inside the Tesla Model S or X car selecting the required mode. Since 2019, Tesla has adopted the CCS2 connector on their Version 3 Superchargers (outputting 250 kW), including a second cable for CCS support on Version 2 Superchargers, on all European models of the Model 3 and Y, with a hardware upgrade and adapter for pre-2019 Model S and X vehicles,[2] and since 2022 on Model S and X as the new connector.[3]
The Type 2 connector system was originally proposed by Mennekes in 2009. The system was later tested and standardized by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) as VDE-AR-E 2623-2-2, and subsequently recommended by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) in 2011. In January 2013, the IEC 62196 Type 2 connector was selected by the European Commission as official AC charging plug within the European Union.[4] It has since been adopted as the recommended connector in most countries worldwide, including New Zealand.[5] When passing AC, the maximum power of the Mennekes connector is 43 kW.[6] The IEC 62196 Type 1 connector (codified under SAE J1772) is the corresponding standard for single-phase AC charging in the United States, Canada, and South Korea.[7] J1772 has a maximum output of 19.2 kW.[8]
In North America, the same Type 2 physical connector is used for three-phase AC charging under the SAE J3068 standard, which uses Local Interconnect Network (LIN) for control signaling based on IEC 61851-1 Edition 3 Annex D.[9] [10] J3068 increases the maximum output to 166 kW using three-phase AC.[8]
The same physical connector is also used in China under the Guobiao standard GB/T 20234.2-2015 for AC-charging, with gender differences for the vehicle and electric vehicle supply equipment. GB/T 20234-2 specifies cables with Type 2-style male connectors on both ends, and a female inlet on vehicles[11] —the opposite gender to the rest of the world, and with different control signaling.
The Combined Charging System Combo 2 "fast charging" connector uses the signaling and protective earth pins of the Type 2 connector and adds two pins for rapid charging, with direct current power supplied at rates up to approximately 350 kW.[7]
| Region / Standard | Socket outlet | Connecting cable | Vehicle inlet | Electrical | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plug | Connector | Phase (φ) | Current | Voltage | ||||
| EU / IEC 62196 Type 2 | Female | Male | Female | Male | 1φ | 70A | 480V | |
| 3φ | 63A | |||||||
| US / SAE J3068 AC6 | Permanently connected | Female | Male | 3φ | 100, 120, 160A | 208, 480, 600V | ||
| China / GB/T 20234.2 | Female | Male | Male | Female | 1φ | 16, 32A | 250/400V | |
The Type 2 connector system was originally proposed by Mennekes in 2009 leading to the colloquial name of Mennekes. The system was later tested and standardized by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) as VDE-AR-E 2623-2-2, and subsequently recommended by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) in 2011., Type 2 is intended to replace the previous vehicle connectors used for AC charging within the European electric vehicle network, displacing both Type 1 (SAE J1772) and Type 3 (EV Plug Alliance Types 3A and 3C; colloquially, Scame) connectors. For DC charging, the Combo 2 socket (Type 2 supplemented with 2 DC pins) shall become standard in cars, replacing Type 4 CHAdeMO. The transition period is scheduled to last until 2020.[12]
The IEC 62196 Type 2 connector is used in a slightly modified form for all European Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles, and the European Tesla Supercharger network.[13] As of 2017 Tesla is the only automaker which offers charging with alternating current and direct current based on the IEC 62196-2 specification. For charging with direct current the specification IEC 62196-3 Combined Charging System (CCS) is favored in Europe.[14]
The connectors contain seven contact places: two small and five larger. The top row consists of two small contacts for signaling, the middle row contains three pins, the center pin is used for Earthing, while the outer two pins used for the power supply, optionally in conjunction with the two pins on the bottom row which are also for power supply. Three pins are always used for the same purposes:
The allocation of the four normal power supply pins vary depending on the mode of operation. They are allocated as:
| Mode | Maximum | (A1) | (C1) | (E1) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volts | Amps | (B2) | (D2) | |||
| Single-phase AC | 500V AC | 1×80A | Neutral (N) | Earth (PE) | AC (L1) | |
| N/C | N/C | |||||
| Three-phase AC | 3×63A | Neutral (N) | Earth (PE) | AC (L1) | ||
| AC (L3) | AC (L2) | |||||
| Combined single-phase AC and low-current DC | 500V AC/DC | 1×80A (AC) &<br/>1×70A (DC) | Neutral (N) | Earth (PE) | AC (L1) | |
| DC (+) | DC (-) | |||||
| Low-current DC | 500V DC | 1×80A (DC) | N/C | Earth (PE) | N/C | |
| DC (+) | DC (-) | |||||
| Mid-current DC | 1×140A (DC) | DC (+) | Earth (PE) | DC (-) | ||
| DC (+) | DC (-) | |||||
Some vehicle inlets may contain the extra connections to allow the CCS DC-only charger (high-current DC) to be inserted.[16]
Communication takes place over the CP/PP signaling pins between the charger, cable, and vehicle to ensure that the highest common denominator of voltage and current is selected.
The signaling protocol is identical to that of Type 1 connectors as described in the SAE J1772 standard.
